


manor without a heart

by waywardbrain



Category: Tomb Raider (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Himiko is gone for good, Takes place after Shadow of Tomb Raider, We ignore the comics, reunion after shadow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25681297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waywardbrain/pseuds/waywardbrain
Summary: It's good to be home, but what is a home without a heart?
Relationships: Lara Croft/Samantha Nishimura
Comments: 5
Kudos: 71





	manor without a heart

**Author's Note:**

> Is this ship still around? Clearly I joined it several years too late, but nonetheless I hope that there are still readers who enjoy this. We are ignoring the comics in this fic. Lara saved Sam in the 2013 game and Himiko was defeated. She has no further influence or control over Sam.

Lara stood in her father’s former study, that now had become hers. She redecorated to make it more her own. The dark tones were replaced with a much brighter blueish colour. Various artifacts from her past expeditions were neatly displayed on the walls.

As Lara scanned the artifacts, memories came flooding back when she locked onto a framed picture of The Endurance crew. She had cut Withman’s face out of the picture, leaving a corner empty in the frame. Her eyes went back and forth between the crew members. Roth, Sam, Alex, Jonah, Sam, Grim, Reyes and Sam again.

Sam, her former best friend that she left behind.

Sam, the person she loved but was afraid to ever confess to.

Sam, her love that she pushed away because she was obsessed with her father’s research and bringing an end to Trinity.

What had become of Samantha Nishimura in the years where they had lost contact?

Lara sat behind her desk and opened her laptop and began googling her friend.

Various articles popped up about Sam. They stated that the Nishimura heir had set up up her own production company. She even won one award for her documentary. A prestigious one at that!

God, Lara, when was the last time she even saw a documentary? Or go to the movies, or watch TV at all? Nonetheless she was proud of what Sam had achieved.

‘’You look happy Sam…’’ Lara smiled to herself as she opened Samantha’s Instagram profile. There were hundreds of pictures there, some pictures of her filming the documentaries, some gorgeous locations, luxury parties that she attended and lots of selfies.

Why would Lara even try to contact Sam? She was perfectly happy without her. Stepping out of her family's shadow and making her own mark on the world.

Should she just for this once be selfish and go after someone that she really wanted back in her life? Trinity was gone now and Lara had planned to stay in England and restore the manor in its former glory. It would require Lara to stay home for a while. A better time than this wouldn’t come again.

It was time for Lara to spend some time among the living, for that she couldn't just hide in the manor anymore. It's good to be home, but what is a home without a heart? Just a pile of bricks that provided shelter. Lord Richard Croft had her mother as the heart of the manor. The manor could use a new heart. Lara's heart belonged to a certain filmmaker that she hadn't spoken to in years.

Before she would lose her courage, she grabbed some paper and started writing a letter by hand.

Winston entered the study and found Lara bend over on her desk, one hand gripped her hair in frustration. She had been writing this letter for over two hours.

‘’Tea, lady Croft?’’ The butler asked as he approached the desk.

‘’Lovely,’’ was the reply that came from her as she didn’t even look up to Winston.

Winston served the tea and picked up several scrunched up balls of paper that lay around the desk. Her failed attempts at writing the letter. He never judged, and if he did, he would not be as bold to say it out loud to Lara until absolutely necessary.

‘’Winston, can you please post this letter?’’ She put the letter in an envelope and sealed it with red wax, stamping it with the Croft family crest. ‘’Fastest shipping possible.’’

‘’Of course, anything else you might need? Lady Croft?’’ Despite Lara insistence that Winston should just address her as Lara, he never did. He was a man of tradition. She was the lady of the manor and should always be addressed as such.

‘’No, thank you, Winston,’’ she answered as she reclined back in her chair with the cup of tea in her hands.

Let the waiting begin.

* * *

Samantha stood in the middle of her New York Penthouse, holding the letter from Lara in her hands. She froze. It had been years since they had even talked and now out of nowhere there was now a letter.

‘’You can be so extra….’’ Sam shook her head as she broke the wax seal of the letter.

_Dear Sam,_

_I’m sorry that it has taken me this long to reach out to you again. I’ve come home, back to the manor._

_There is so much I want to tell you Sam, I couldn’t possibly convey it all in this letter._

_I hope whenever you find yourself back in England again, that you will find some time to stop by the manor. You will always have a place here._

_Yours,_

_Lara_

Sam closed her eyes and let out a breath she didn’t know that she was holding. Reading that letter made her heart flutter. She had been waiting so long to hear anything about Lara.

‘’Still a woman of few words…’’ this time, she smiled a bit as she got out her laptop and began to look for a way to contact Lara. There had to be a faster way than a letter right?

Of course Lara had no Instagram, twitter or any other form of social media. Sam was forced to write a letter back, replying that she would be in England in a month or so and willing to meet up.

* * *

Lara sat once again in her study, overlooking plans for further renovations. The study had become the room that was most used in manor, besides her bedroom, gym and library. Living here alone with Winston made her realize how large the manor actually was. There were so many unused rooms. Maybe one day in the far future there could be the sound of little feet running through the house, or maybe even some pets. She actually scoffed at the idea, shaking her head as if it was just a silly daydream.

Winston knocked on the door before he entered the office, ‘’Lady Croft, a guest has arrived.’’

Lara was so focused on the plans that she barely noticed the butler talking, she merely hummed in response.

‘’Miss Nishimura is waiting for you in the grand hall, shall I prepare some tea?’’

Lara stood up with enough force to topple her chair backwards. ‘’You mean right now? As in right this second?’’

‘’Yes, as in right now. Miss Nishimura is awaiting you. As her letter said, she would arrive in a month's time, which was in fact two weeks ago.'' Winston, a man that insisted on always being on time, of course would comment on someone being late. ''While it is true that she gave no specifics on what day or time she would arrive,’’ the butler nodded. ‘’It would be rude to keep our guest waiting.’’

‘’Yes, and bring us some tea Winston.’’ Lara rushed out of the office before she bolted back inside a second later. ‘’And some coffee for Sam.’’

‘’Of course. It will be with you in a moment's time.’’ Lara was already out of the door before he had finished his sentence. She had told him all about Sam after writing her letter. He knew how important Samantha was to Lara.

Lara stopped at the balustrade that overlooked the main hall. ‘’Sam,’’ she said, softly. There stood her Sam. She was here, it was no dream, no hallucination, it was reality.

It had been five years since they saw each other. Sam looked pretty much the same, except for her hair. Her sharp black bob had grown into silky waist length hair.

Sam held her breath as Lara made her way down the stairs. She looked just the same. The jeans and dark blue Henley combination was something that she had seen many times. With the sleeves rolled up, she noticed how much tighter the fabric around her arms was.

Focus, Sam, focus. She was still mad at Lara for leaving her behind and cutting her out of her life.

Lara had raced down the stairs but came to an abrupt halt when she had reached the last step. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to form a sentence but nothing came from her.

Lara was the embodiment of a deer caught in headlights. Sam couldn’t wait for her friend to react. She wrapped her arms tightly around Lara. She was here, it was no dream, no hallucination, it was reality. She was safe and sound, and now finally in her arms. Relief washed over her body, relaxing her tense muscles. 

She was startled, this she had not expected. She expected anger, sarcasm and maybe a bit of yelling, but this? Not in her wildest dream. Lara wrapped her arms around Sam and nuzzled her face against the crook of her neck, hugging her back even tighter than the other woman. 

The women stood there for a good minute or two, neither of them breaking the embrace. It was Sam who stepped back first, she cupped Lara’s cheek, as if she needed a confirmation that it was really her Lara she was holding.

This was definitely her Lara. So much had changed since Yamatai, Sam could see it in her eyes, regret, pain and so much more. Maybe one day she would uncover it all.

‘’You’re here…’’ The bits and pieces of information she knew of Lara these past years came from Jonah. He did not hold back on how dangerous saving the world and fighting trinity was. Every time she talked to Jonah, she feared it was the last she would hear of him and Lara.

It wasn’t a question. She nodded in response. ‘’I’m sorry if I kept you waiting,’’ Lara spoke softly as she caressed the hands that were on her cheeks.

‘’No worries, it has only been five years…’’ her voice was laced with sarcasm, but a smile could be seen at the corner of her lips.

Lara stepped back and shifted the weight from one leg to the other, like she was nervous. ‘’I...I...I can explain.’’ Could she really? Was there any explanation that Sam would accept?

‘’Then let’s talk.’’

Lara nodded and led Sam to the living room where Winston had already served their drinks. Tea for Lara and coffee for Sam. They began to talk and soon discovered that it was actually Antonia, Sam’s mother who had kept them apart. She lied to both of them. To Lara she said that Sam never wanted to see her again. To Sam, she said that Lara didn’t want to see her again, that she was only holding her back. It was partially the fault of the women as well. Neither of them had really pushed to contact the other again. Well, Sam had, but by then it was already too late, Lara was well into her path of revenge and obsession.

They talked well into the night about what happened to the both of them in the years they were apart. As the night progressed, the conversation had gotten lighter. The shared stories were now funny anecdotes of things that happened the past years.

They didn’t know where they would go from here, but one thing was sure, they were here to stay in each other lives. In what way that would be, is something that they needed to explore still.

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you enjoyed that, let me know what you think. I got more ideas for them but it will most likely be written as them having an established relationship already. After playing the games, I just wanted to write out their reunion.


End file.
